1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to navigation apparatuses for displaying map images and for searching for various facilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
On-vehicle navigation apparatuses generally have a map display function for displaying a map image of the area surrounding the position of a vehicle on a screen, a path searching function for searching for a path to a destination or an intermediate location specified by the user, and a path guiding function for guiding the vehicle along the path set by path searching.
Most recent navigation apparatuses include a facility searching function for searching for various facilities to be set as a destination in path searching. When a search condition is specified in the facility searching function, such as a facility genre (for example, a park) or a prefecture in which a facility is located, facilities which satisfy the specified searching condition are searched for and the names of the facilities are listed and displayed. When the user selects a desired facility from the list and sets the destination to the location of the facility, path guiding to the desired facility can be performed.
When the user selects a facility as a destination from the list of facilities searched for by the above-described facility searching function, the user often wants to know details (such as a driving distance and driving time) of a driving path to the facility. In conventional navigation apparatuses, however, to know the details of a driving path to a desired facility, it is necessary to set the facility as a destination, execute path searching, and refer to information obtained as a search result, such as a driving distance and driving time. Therefore, when details of the driving paths to several facilities are required, it is necessary to repeat the operations of setting one facility as a destination, instructing the execution of path searching, and referring to the information obtained as a search result. Accordingly, this conventional method of operation is troublesome for a user.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing problem. An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation apparatus which gives details of a driving path to each of a plurality of facilities without troublesome operations.
To solve the above-described problem, a navigation apparatus according to the present invention includes a facility searching means that searches for a plurality of facilities which satisfy a facility searching condition set by a condition setting means, and a drawing means that draws a search image in which the plurality of searched facilities is displayed in a list form on a screen as choices. When one of the plurality of facilities is specified as a selection candidate, path information of a path to the specified facility is displayed on the same screen including the choices. A display means displays the search image drawn by the drawing means on a screen, and, when the search image is displayed on the screen of the display means, a search-candidate specifying means specifies the facility corresponding to the choice included in the search image as the selection candidate.
When a simple operation of specifying selection candidates from among a plurality of facilities displayed as choices in a list form on a screen is performed, path information of a path to each of the specified facilities is displayed. Therefore, without repeating a troublesome operation, details of driving paths to a plurality of facilities can be understood.
It is preferred that the navigation apparatus further include path searching means for searching for a driving path to reach each of the plurality of facilities searched for by the facility searching means, and path-information generation means for generating the path information corresponding to each of the plurality of facilities according to the result of the searching performed by the path searching means. Since the path information is generated according to the result of searching for a driving path to each facility, the path information includes actual road information and is more detailed.
It is also preferred that the path information include at least the driving distance and the driving time required to reach each of the plurality of facilities. Since the driving distance and driving time are presented as path information, details of the driving path to each facility can be more specifically understood.
It is also preferred that the path information include a driving charge required for a toll road when the toll road is included in a driving path to a facility. With this feature, since whether the toll of a toll road is required is identified, and, if it is required, the amount of the toll is identified, details of the driving path are more accurately understood.
It is also preferred that the path information include a map image which includes a driving path to a facility. Since a map image including the driving path is displayed, geographical information (such as natural features and the name of a city near the facility) related to the driving path to the facility is easily understood.
It is also preferred that the navigation apparatus further include position detection means for detecting the position of a vehicle, and the map image include the entire driving path which connects the facility specified by the search-candidate specifying means and the position of the vehicle detected by the position detection means. Since the map image includes the entire driving path, the condition (such as a passing-through area and the types of roads included in the driving path) of the driving path to the facility is easily understood on the map.
It is preferred that the drawing means display the selected facility and the position of the vehicle in an emphasized manner. With this feature, the starting point and the ending point of the driving path are easily understood.
It is also preferred that the drawing means display the entire driving path in an emphasized manner. With this feature, the driving path is easily differentiated from other roads included in the map image, and hence, the driving path is easily understood.
It is also preferred that the drawing means display a toll road included in the driving path in an identifiable manner. With this feature, the percentage and the position of the toll road in the driving path is easily and visually understood.
It is preferred that the drawing means draw a search image which has a first area in which the choices are included and a second area disposed at the left or right of the first area, in which the path information is included. Generally, on-vehicle navigation apparatuses are provided with a display having a landscape display screen. Therefore, when the first area which includes the choices and the second area which includes the path information are disposed horizontally, the landscape display screen is effectively used and an easy-to-see search screen is displayed.
It is preferred that, when only some of the facilities searched for by the facility searching means are included in the search image in the screen displayed by the display means, the path searching means conduct searching for the displayed portion of the facilities. Even when there are a large number of facilities which satisfy the facility search condition, since search processing is performed only for a displayed portion of the facilities, that is, facilities having a high probability of being specified as a selection candidate, only the most likely processing is efficiently performed.
It is preferred that the drawing means specify the order of the choices to be displayed in a list form according to the driving time required to reach each facility along the driving path searched for by the path searching means. The drawing means alternatively may specify the order of the choices to be displayed in a list form according to the driving distance to each facility along the driving path searched for by the path searching means. When the order of the choices to be displayed in a list form is specified according to driving time or driving distance, a facility suited to a desired driving time or a desired driving distance is easily found according to the listed driving time or the listed driving distance, and the path information to the facility is obtained.
The foregoing object is achieved in another aspect of the present invention through the provision of a navigation apparatus including a condition setting section for setting a facility searching condition; a facility searching section for searching for a plurality of facilities which satisfy the facility searching condition set by the condition setting section; a drawing section for drawing a search image in which the plurality of facilities searched for by the facility searching section is displayed in a list form on a screen as choices, and in which, when one of the plurality of facilities is specified as a selection candidate, path information of a path to the specified facility is displayed on the same screen including the choices; a display section for displaying the search image drawn by the drawing section on a screen; a search-candidate specifying section for specifying, when the search image is displayed on the screen of the display section, the facility corresponding to the choice included in the search image as the selection candidate; a path searching section for searching for a driving path to each of the plurality of facilities searched for by the facility searching section; and a path-information generation section for generating the path information corresponding to each of the plurality of facilities according to the result of searching performed by the path searching section.
The foregoing object is achieved in still another aspect of the present invention through the provision of a facility searching method for a navigation apparatus, including the steps of setting a facility searching condition; searching for a plurality of facilities which satisfy the set facility searching condition; drawing a search image in which the plurality of searched facilities is displayed in a list form on a screen as choices, and in which, when one of the plurality of facilities is specified as a selection candidate, path information of a path to the specified facility is displayed on the same screen including the choices; displaying the drawn search image on a screen; and specifying, when the search image is displayed on the screen, a facility corresponding to one of the choices included in the search image as the selection candidate.
As described above, according to the present invention, when a simple operation of specifying selection candidates from among a plurality of facilities displayed in a list form as choices is performed, path information of a path to each of the specified facilities is displayed. Therefore, without repeating a troublesome operation, details of the driving paths to a plurality of facilities can be understood.